Content providers are increasingly offering content to subscribers of mobile wireless services. For example, mobile wireless service providers and others are offering wireless portals through which users of mobile devices can access content such as news, entertainment, and email services—the possibilities for content are endless. In addition, content providers that in the past have tailored their content for users of traditional web browsers are increasingly providing alternative formats for users of mobile devices.
The mobile devices of today, while much advanced, are typically small with limited input capabilities and navigation capabilities. For this reason, content intended for users of such devices is sometimes subject to special formatting and protocols. Another problem content providers struggle with is marketing their content to users of mobile devices. For example, because of the limited input/output capabilities of most wireless devices, it is difficult for the mobile end user to search for and identify new and interesting content. Very often, the best applications or content is made known by “word of mouth.” For example, a friend or colleague may recommend a particular mobile application. In doing so, he or she has to remember and describe where the content was found, which may not always be easy or practical.
As mobile devices use a variety of technologies that differ from device to device, another complication involves handling or managing differences in user devices in the context of receiving content on mobile devices. For example, content that is completely compatible with one device (e.g., a Java game that depends on a particular version of a Java Application Manager) may not work at all on another device, resulting in bad and frustrating experiences for many users. While each content provider can implement procedures to detect and handle each device's capabilities, this is not a practical solution, as such procedures are often difficult to implement, and there are a large number of content providers that would need to comply.
In the drawings, the same reference numbers identify identical or substantially similar elements or acts. To facilitate the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced (e.g., element 204 is first introduced and discussed with respect to FIG. 2).
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